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Category Archives: NW boats and boaters
Drake in Oregon? The Mystery Continues……
Hardly a year goes by without a reconstruction of a historic sailing ship visiting the Columbia River. The Lady Washington is a frequent visitor, but I can also recall going on board Captain Cook’s Endeavour, and even meeting Captain Bligh … Continue reading
The 5′ Miniboat Crosses the Pacific Ocean
There’s a heated debate going on among yachtsmen in clubs and committees all over the world about how to recruit young people to the sport. “Get ‘em young” is one idea, and requires investments in dinghies, instructors, waterfront facilities, not … Continue reading
Solo Canoeist Neal Moore Crosses America
On March 1, 2019– the day after the splendidly rowdy and irreverent Fisher Poets Gathering brought a hundred or so characters to the Hanthorn Cannery Museum in Astoria–another story teller showed up at the museum on Pier 39 at the … Continue reading
Posted in NW boats and boaters, Sailors & Yachts, Worth Reading
Tagged little wake, neal moore
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When Slo-mo-shun Set the World Record in Seattle!
There’s not a week goes by these days without someone on some kind of a boat trying to set a record for speed or distance. They may using human/wind/motor/solar power, or trying some novelty event like “largest boat tie-up.” That’s … Continue reading
Posted in NW boats and boaters, Ocean Racing & Records
Tagged seattle, Slo-mo-shun, world water speed record
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In 1958, a 1700′ Tsunami Hit Lituya Bay, Alaska
When I moved to Astoria almost a decade ago, I began to enjoy the pleasures of living on the edge of the continent, like the short trip to the beach, and the ever-changing weather. But when I attended a community … Continue reading
Posted in Cruising, Nautical History, NW boats and boaters, Worth Reading
Tagged Lituya Bay, mega tsunami
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Botterjacht Groote Beer’s Nazi Past All a Fraud
Back in the 1990’s, I wrote what I assumed would be the final American story about the Groote Beer, the 52′ Dutch botterjacht that had spent many years on the west coast, especially on the Columbia River in the 1950s–when … Continue reading
Posted in Cruising, NW boats and boaters, Sailors & Yachts, Worth Reading
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US Coast Guard 1934 Wooden MLB
Restoration of Wooden Lifeboat Is One Man’s Dream The Port of Astoria’s haul-out yard may not sound like a great place to find a boating story, but there is always a variety of working boats and yachts on the hard–and … Continue reading
Posted in Nautical History, NW boats and boaters, Worth Reading
Tagged MLB 36, MLB 36391
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After 75 Years, Katie Ford Sails on in B.C.
In the summer of 2016, I received an email from the Canadian owner of the 44′ cruising yacht Katie Ford, inviting me to its 70th birthday party in Victoria B.C. This classic old sailing yacht was built in in 1946 … Continue reading
2017: Old Astoria Pilot Boat Arrow 2 Returns
The pilot boat Arrow 2 disappeared from the Astoria waterfront in 2012 and has been greatly missed by the seamen who admired its unique traditional hull shape and general low-tech appearance. There was much speculation about its final disposition: would … Continue reading
Posted in Commercial craft, Nautical History, NW boats and boaters
Tagged astoria pilot boat
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